Prince Harry is grandson of Queen Elizabeth, head of official state of Canada, but for that reason he will not receive special treatment in immigration and tax matters if he is based in the country, experts say.
Everything indicates that Harry and his American wife, Meghan Markle, plan to live part of the time in Canada, but it is not clear where, or if they intend to become residents of the country, or work on it.
But, as happens in the United States with foreigners, the Dukes of Sussex will not receive special treatment.
"There are no provisions in the Citizenship Law that confer Canadian citizenship status on members of the royal family, " the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada explained in a statement.
I work in the United States?
“To become permanent legal residents of Canada, they would have to submit an application through our normal immigration processes. However, members of the royal family are not required to seek authorization to come and stay in Canada as visitors, "he added.
As visitors, the only obstacle would be that they cannot work in Canada, but in other countries. And that is perhaps the path chosen by the couple: The Times newspaper says that Meghan signed an agreement with Disney for a recording of her voice promoting charitable donations for the Elephants without borders organization.
And hours later, the video of an exchange in July between Harry and Disney CEO Bob Iger emerged, where the Duke of Sussex promotes his wife's voice work skills.
It has also been speculated that the queen could designate Harry as Governor General of Canada, a formal position with an annual salary of more than $ 200,000 whose appointment and mandate is decided by the monarch.
Helen Park, immigration lawyer at the Dentons law firm in Vancouver (where the dukes spent Christmas holidays with their baby Archie), told The New York Times that the government of Justin Trudeau could also declare them as people of great social economic benefit or cultural for Canada, a measure commonly used for prominent artists or literary figures.
It is even possible that Meghan possesses that status, having spent six years in the country while acting in the Suits series. It is unknown if she has Canadian residence, in which case she could claim it for her husband.
The cost of protecting the dukes
One of the most debated aspects in Canada is who will pay the bill for the safety of the dukes and their son Archie.
"We are not completely sure what the final decisions will be," Trudeau recently admitted.
Canada covers the cost of the couple's security through the Royal Canadian Mounted Police because the official status of the dukes makes them "internationally protected persons" under the law.
Kent Roach, a law professor at the University of Toronto, said that after retiring from official life, Meghan and Harry would lose that status.
But for now, not only do they maintain it, but the estimated cost - 2 million Canadian dollars, the equivalent of 1.5 million US dollars - has already been duly compensated for all the attention that the British royal scandal has brought to the country.
"Canada has already received so much value in good press," said the expert.
A more complex aspect is that of taxes. While royalty does not pay taxes in the United Kingdom, in Canada even people who spend less than half of the year remain residents for tax purposes, said Heather L. Evans, executive director of the Canadian Tax Foundation.
But if the dukes decide to work elsewhere - Harry in the United Kingdom and Meghan in the United States, for example - they would be exempt from paying the Canadian treasury. And while Harry has never paid taxes in his life, for the now Duchess it is something perfectly normal.
